Mark Rycroft

Mark A. Rycroft (born July 12, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche. Rycroft is currently a color commentator for Altitude Sports and Entertainment, the local affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche.

Playing career Prior to playing professional hockey, Rycroft played two seasons with Nanaimo Clippers in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and three collegiate seasons at the University of Denver. Having gone undrafted in any NHL entry draft, on May 15, 2000, Rycroft signed an NHL contract with the St. Louis Blues as a free agent. In the 2001–02 season, he made his NHL debut with the Blues.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Rycroft played for the Diables Rouges de Briançon in the Ligue Magnus. On July 12, 2006, he was signed as a free agent by the Colorado Avalanche to a two-year contract. After playing the 2006–07 season with the Avalanche, Rycroft was assigned to the club's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, to start the 2007–08 season.

On January 22, 2008, Rycroft was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Darcy Campbell and Philippe Dupuis. He was immediately assigned to the Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate, Syracuse Crunch, and ultimately never played a game for Columbus. On July 17, 2008, Rycroft signed with Dinamo Minsk of the newly-formed Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), but was later released without having played a game for the team.

Rycroft is currently a TV color commentator for Altitude Sports and Entertainment, the local affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1995–96 Nanaimo Clippers BCHL 60 17 28 45 28 — — — — — 1996–97 Nanaimo Clippers BCHL 58 32 35 67 79 — — — — — 1997–98 University of Denver WCHA 35 15 17 32 28 — — — — — 1998–99 University of Denver WCHA 41 19 18 37 36 — — — — — 1999–00 University of Denver WCHA 41 17 17 34 87 — — — — — 2000–01 Worcester IceCats AHL 71 24 26 50 68 11 2 5 7 4 2001–02 Worcester IceCats AHL 66 12 19 31 68 3 0 1 1 0 2001–02 St. Louis Blues NHL 9 0 3 3 4 — — — — — 2002–03 Worcester IceCats AHL 45 8 18 26 35 1 0 0 0 0 2003–04 St. Louis Blues NHL 71 9 12 21 32 3 0 0 0 2 2004–05 Diables Rouges de Briançon FRA 13 8 8 16 18 4 2 1 3 0 2005–06 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 6 4 10 46 — — — — — 2006–07 Colorado Avalanche NHL 66 6 6 12 31 — — — — — 2007–08 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 30 1 6 7 17 — — — — — 2007–08 Syracuse Crunch AHL 34 3 10 13 10 13 2 2 4 4 NHL totals 226 21 25 46 113 3 0 0 0 2

Awards and honours Award Year College WCHA All-Rookie Team 1998